Society Japan's dementia cafes

thomas · 21 Sep 2023

The Washington Post with a touching piece on Japan's "dementia cafes": coffee shops that hire elderly people with dementia to work as servers.

A former owner of the cafe has a parent with dementia, and the new owner agreed to let them rent out the space each month as a dementia cafe. The organizers now work with the local government to get connected to dementia patients in the area. It's a safe space where they can interact with new people, be productive and feel needed — key to slowing down the progression of dementia, a neurodegenerative condition that has no cure.

A condition of unending indignities and financial burdens, dementia is a global phenomenon every society confronts. But in Japan, the world's oldest society, dementia is a pressing national health challenge. About 30 per cent of the Japanese population of about 125.7 million is over 65. More than 6 million Japanese people are estimated to have dementia, and the number is expected to grow as high as 7.3 million — or 1 in 5 people over 65 — by 2025, according to the Health Ministry.

Photo credit: The Washington Post

Kazuhiko, a 65-year-old diagnosed with dementia five years ago, has been working at the cafe every month. His wife wanted to find him a place where he can interact with people aside from those he sees at his day care. Kazuhiko's family asked that he be identified by his first name for the family's privacy. At one point, Kazuhiko was heading to a table with an order but became distracted when the construction crew outside made a loud noise. He proceeded to leave the cafe and move toward the sound, and the staff rushed to bring him back in. "How long have you been working here?" asked one visitor. "Is today your first time?" "Yes," answered Kazuhiko, except it wasn't his first time. Kazuhiko rarely talks or shows emotion anymore. He usually doesn't make eye contact with customers until he sees them multiple times. But that day, he showed a smile.

Source:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/19/japan-aging-elderly-dementia-care/

Grandpa Frank · 21 Sep 2023

I had several patients over my 17 years of home care with dementia or Alzheimer's. They were all calm and easy to work with , but it was super hard for some of the families. Many family members were the wives who refused to put their husband in a home and they were my heroines .

Society Japan's dementia cafes

thomas

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Grandpa Frank

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